Kiwanis International history

Soon after beginning Kiwanis went international in 1916 when a chapter opened up in Hamilton, Ontario.

In 1917, professional organizer Allen S. Browne created a motto and a creed for Kiwanis two years after he helped open the first club in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The motto was “Service Brings Its Own Reward.”

Delegates at the 1918 Kiwanis International convention in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, approved a constitution designed to unite the rapidly growing organization.

The Richmond club, which first met at the Jefferson Hotel on March 10, 1919, had 100 charter members.

With the formation of clubs in Winnipeg, Man., Dublin, and London, the name International Association of Rotary Clubs was adopted but was replaced in 1922 by the name Rotary International.

In June 1924, Kiwanis International President Ed Arras stepped to the podium at the Denver, Colorado, USA, Kiwanis International convention and introduced the six new proposed Objects to the organization.

On March 1, 1931, work started in the new location, which required an annual rent of $5,700.

The dedication of the Kiwanis International Building took place on Sunday, October 25, 1959, just before the official opening of that year’s International Council.

Blue Spruce Kiwanis was founded in 1969 as an outgrowth of Evergreen Kiwanis.

In 1970 Allix James, President of Virginia Union University, became the first African-American member of the Club.

The Kiwanis International staff began the process of moving once again, completing the move by August of 1982.

Then, in 1987, a second expansion was approved.

Then in 2005, during the 90th anniversary year of Kiwanis, delegates to the International Convention voted to adopt a new motto, “Serving the Children of the World,” to emphasize the primary focus of Kiwanis service over those nine decades and make a commitment for the years to come.

In 2008, delegates approved a resolution that calls for Kiwanis clubs to celebrate and foster inclusiveness.

Beginning in 2010 Kiwanis International joined with UNICEF to launch a new worldwide health initiative, The Eliminate Project, dedicated to wiping out maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT), which kills more than 100,000 babies worldwide each year.